New Year, New Press

2013 can be your year for new press that can increase the reach and audience of your brand or product! While the year is still fresh, let’s revisit the basics of pitching yourself to magazines and blogs. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to regional and even national exposure!

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Magazines and blogs have a certain style and formula to their pages. Read enough issues and you’ll begin to see the kinds of products that are covered or the services offered. Spend 30 minutes on back issues or older posts before you pitch. Does your product look like it already belongs on the page? If the answer is yes, then move forward with your pitch and point out something pertinent or related to your product. Similarly, don’t expect an editor to cover services when their pages are all product-driven. Study up before reaching out.

BE FRIENDLY
Recognize the editor or blogger by name (and be sure it’s spelled correctly) before you launch into a concise, well-written and convincing pitch (no more than two tight paragraphs). A pitch addressed, “Dear Editor,” is guaranteed to be deleted right away.

KEEP IT FRESH
The one word an editor wants to see in every pitch is “new.” Why? New material fuels issue after issue! Magazines want to be the first to feature a new product or service or destination. Some bloggers will run a product within minutes of receiving a pitch to get a true scoop. If what you’re pitching is not new, then it is your job to tie the idea or product into a new trend, a holiday, a seasonal occasion or current event.

PROVIDE STUNNING VISUALS
Most editors know if they can use your product the second their eye hits the photo you send with your pitch. Delivering crisp, well-lit images that look like they belong on the pages you are pitching will help yours rise to the top of the submission pile. Additionally, editors don’t open attachments so be sure to embed the low-res (72 dpi) image directly into the email pitch.

RESPECT YOUR EDITOR’S TIME
So many products with passionate people behind them fail to reach their press potential because they are slow to respond to editorial requests.
Return every editor’s request the same day and with creativity, courtesy and quality. Over time, you’ll become a “go-to” source and the first person that editor will reach out to the next time there is an opportunity or even a last-minute spot to fill.

Amy Flurry is State of Unique’s business editor and author of the much-buzzed about DIY Publicity book, Recipe for Press (www.recipeforpress.com)